Apparatus for generating power, gas, and liquid hydrocarbons



May 23, 1933. 5 LUCKE 1,911,026

APPARATUS F01? GENERATING POWER, GAS AND LIQUID HYDROCARBONS Filed Sept.20, 1927 Fig! a I Z 2 4;

40 Qmzvmais 1 32 4f 2 I I I 7 fml a a INVENTOR ATTORN EY! Patented May23, 1933 UNITED. STATES ?ATENT OFFICE CHARLES E. L'UOKE, OF NEW YORK, N.Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE BAIBGOCKeu WILC'OX COMPANY, OF BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY,A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY APPARATUSFOR GENERATING POWER, GAS, ANDLIQUID HYDROCABBO'NS Application filed September 20, 1927. Serial No.220,670.

,This invention relates to apparatus by which illuminating gas may beproduced from coal and steam also generated, which may be used for thepurpose of generating electric power or for other purposes. By thisinvention, the proportion of gas to steam that is generated from coalcan be varied to suit the demand. The invention is especially applicableto'pulverized coal, but is not restricted to this sort of coal. Theinvention will be understood from the description in connection with theaccompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a side view partly in sectionthrough an arrangement of apparatus for carrying out the invention, Fig.2 is a similar view showing a modification, and Fig. 3 is a sectionalong the line 33 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing, reference character 4 indicates a furnace of a boilerthat may be provided with water wall tubes 5 connected to thecirculation system of the boiler. A boiler 6 of the Babcock & Wilcoxtype is shown located above the furnace 5, and the outlet for wastegases is indicated at 7. lit is to be understood that boilers of othertypes may be used, however.

A coal bin 9 in which a supply of pulverized coal may be stored isprovided with a valved discharge outlet 10, through whicha regulatedquantity of coal can be fed to a hopper 11, from which the coal entersthe feeder 12 by which the coal is introduced into the carbonizing orgasifying chamber 13, such as the McIntyre retort or other well knowntype ,of heater in which stirring can take place. This chamber isprovided with stirrers 14 mounted upon a central shaft 15 that is drivenby means of the motor 16. Air manifolds 17 are provided along the sidesof the chamber 13. These manifolds may be supplied with air from anyconvenient source, and branch pipes .18 lead therefrom to the fuelburners 21 for the cylinder. Gas manifolds 19 are provided along thesides of the cylinder 13 from which branch pipes 20 lead to the fuelburners 21. When coal that can be coked is used it should be stirredwhile it is being heated to keep it pulverized as explained in thepatent to Rodman #1,433,039.

A discharge conduit 22 is provided at the rear end of the chamber 13 anda weighted valve 23 at the lower end thereof permits the discharge ofmaterial into a heat exchange device 24 that is provided with staggeredbaflles 25, over which the material passes slowly downwardly into thevalved pipe 26 that leads to the receptacle 27. A screw conveyor28,-driven by the motor 29, discharges fuel from the receptacle 27 intothe fuel burner 30 at the front of the furnace 4.. A branch conduit 32,provided with a' valve 33, leads directly from the bin 9 to thereceptacle 27.

A discharge pipe 35 for volatile matter leads from the upper side of theend of the chamber 13 opposite the conduit 22 into an densates anduncondensed gases is provided at the lower portion of the condenser 36,and a tar trap 41 with a valved discharge outlet 42 is provided on thelower side of the pipe 40. A pipe 43 for uncondensed gases leads fromthe upper side of the pipe 40 to an exhauster or fan 44, from which apipe 45 leads to the lower portion of the heat exchanger 24 and apipe 46leads from the upper portion of this heat exchanger into the condenser36.

In the modification shown in Fi 2, a pipe 50 is provided below theconduit 2 and divides into two valved branches one of which 52 leadsdirectly to the burner 30, and the other 51 through a cooler to astorage bin.

The operation is as follows: The coal,

which is preferably pulverized, is discharged from the bin 9 into thehopper 11, and thence passes through the feeding device 12 into thechamber 13, where sufiicient heat is applied to distil the volatilewhile it is being stirred.

By stirring or agitating the coal while it is being carbonized, the cokeitself is produced in powdered form without forming lumps and flowsthrough the outlet conduit 22 and cooler 24 into the receptaele 27, fromwhich The tubes 37 70 it ,is fed by means of the feeder 28 into thefurnace 4, where it undergoes combustion, the hot products therefrompassing over the boiler heating surfaces and then out through the outlet7.

At the same time, volatile products from the coal evolved by heating thecoal while it is in the carbonizing chamber 13, pass out through thepipe 35 and over the tubes'37 of the condenser 36, where valuable liquidproducts are condensed and discharged through the pipe 40, together withuncondensed gases, and the liquids and gases are separated from eachother and sent to places of storage or use. The tar products that settlein the tar trap 41 are withdrawn from time to time through the pipe 42.A portion of the cooled uncondensed gases pass through the pipe 43, pump44, pipe 45 and upwardly through the cooler 24 for the pulverized solidmaterial in contact with the descending coke, thus cooling the coke andheating the 'gas which passes through the pipe 46 and again over theoutside surfaces of the tubes 37 of the condenser 36.

Air entering the upper ends of the tubes 37 cools the same to cause thecondensation of condensates in the condenser, while at the same time theair itself becomes heated and passes from the pipe 39 into the furnace 4as combustion air, returning to the boiler furnace all the sensible heatof .coke and volatile from the carbonizing chamber 13. Where the returnof this heat is not important, other condenser or coke coolerarrangements may be used and water may be used in the condenser.

When there is a large demand for power from the steam as compared tothedemand for as, a corresponding amount of raw fuel can e by-passed fromthe bin 9 through the pipe 32 directly into the receptacle 27 withoutbeing subjected to the heat treatment by which gas would have beenproduced, so that the proportion of gas made from the coal to the amountof steam generated therefrom, can be varied from the maximum amount ofgas that can be distilled off from the coal in the coking cylinder 13 tozero amount of gas when all of the coal is introduced directly into thereceptacle 27 from the bin 9. At a time when the demand for gas is zero,none be fed directly to the furnace 4 without being cooled while theremainder is passed through the heat exchange device 24.

With some coals, especially those that do not tend to become stickywhen'heated to distil the volatile constituents, the stirring in theheating chamber may be unnecessary and any non-stirring form of heatermay be sub-. stituted.

I claim:

A retort adapted for carbonization of coal, an air heater having an airheating chamber and a second chamber in heat exchange relationtherewith, an air inlet for said air heating chamber, a conduitcommunicating said retort with said second chamber, -a gas outlet forsaid second chamber, a heat exchange chamber, a duct for conveying solidmatter from said retort to said heat exchange chamber, a duct forconveying a fluid from said gas outlet to said heat exchange chamber, aduct for conveying a fluid from said heat exchange chamber to saidconduit, a combustion chamber, a duct for conveying solid matter fromsaid heat exchange chamber to said combustion chamber, and a duct forconveying air from said air heating chamber to said combustion chamber.

CLAUDE E. LUCKE.

of the coal would be coked and variations in as domestic fuel.

In the modification Showiiin' Fig. 2, any proportion of the coke that'is produced can cenrmcarn 0F CORRECTION. 3

' Fatent No. 1 %L026. May 23, 1933.

CHARm E, LUGKE.

it is hereby certified that error vappears in the printed specificationof the above numbered patent requiring correction as iollows: Page 2,line 94. for "Claude E. Lucite" read "Charles E. Lucke"; and that thesaid Letters Patent should he read with this correction therein that thesame may conform to the record of the casein the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 8th day of August, A'. D. 1933.

7 M. J. Moore.

(Seal) 4 Acting Commissioner of Patents.

